April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and Control States are doing their part to keep their citizens educated.
ALEXANDRIA, VA (April 10, 2013) — According to facts from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website, 1,825 college students ages 18 to 24 die each year from alcohol-related trauma and 15.3 million adults meet the standards of an alcohol use disorder.
One-third of states in the U.S. are alcohol controlled jurisdictions, and all states control the product in some form. Of the 18 jurisdictions that are control systems, all have specially planned events, themes and alcohol education programs in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month.
“Iowa’s governor has signed off on a proclamation to declare April Alcohol Awareness Month,” said Shannon Pogones, Education Outreach Coordinator at the Iowa Alcohol Beverage Distribution. Week one was focused on underage drinking, with a prom and graduation tie-in; week two addressed personal responsibility; week three will be focused on MADD’s Power Talk 21 program and week four will be on impaired driving.
North Carolina is joining the national effort to raise awareness about alcohol-related public health issues and the governor has also declared April as Alcohol Abuse Awareness Month.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, roughly 5,000 people under the legal drinking age die annually from injuries caused by alcohol. Problems with alcohol affect all age groups, but connecting with the youth is an important factor for control states this month.
“On April 17th, students, their parents and teachers will attend a ceremony honoring the winners of this year’s Alcohol Awareness Poster contest,” said Bethany Gardner, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol Education in Pennsylvania about one of her state’s events. “This annual contest encourages young people from Kindergarten through twelfth grade to create posters with positive messages to discourage underage alcohol consumption.
Winning posters are displayed in the Capitol Rotunda for the entire week of April 15th through the 19th so the general public can see the students’ handiwork.”
While April is a critical month for acknowledging alcohol safety, Control States are active throughout the rest of the year to keep their communities educated.
According to NABCA research, 94 percent of Control Jurisdictions fund alcohol education sources throughout the year; at least 33 percent of License States fund alcohol schooling programs. Health divisions, alcohol treatment programs and alcohol abuse prevention are included in the types of educational resources that are being assisted.
Most Control States have at least one state-funded program to help reduce underage and binge drinking. Audiences of these aids include the community as a whole, parents, retail, elementary school, middle school, high school and college-aged youth. Many of the groups are specific for the state (Iowa Program for Alcohol Compliance and Michigan Coalition to Curb Underage Drinking), while other states use widely known organizations, such as TIPS, MADD and D.A.R.E.
Alcohol Awareness Month was founded in 1987 by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to “increase public awareness and understanding aimed at reducing the stigma that too often prevents individuals and families from seeking help.”
For more information about Alcohol Awareness Month visit NABCA’s News section at www.nabca.org.
Contact:
Margaret Barchine,
703-578-4200-Office; 703-907-9636-Cell
maggie.barchine@nabca.org
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ABOUT NABCA:
Established in 1938, NABCA is the national association representing the Control State Systems - those jurisdictions that directly control the distribution and sale of beverage alcohol within their borders. Headquartered in Alexandria, VA, NABCA’s mission is to support member jurisdictions in their efforts to protect public health and safety and assure responsible and efficient systems for beverage alcohol distribution and sales.